Nena – ambassador for hope

Nena's massive hit 99 Luftballons (1983) was a catchy peace song protest against the deployment of Pershing-II missiles. Good fortune meant that Nena's song reached the USA and, after being released as 99 Red Balloons, it went to the number one spot even in Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia and the UK.

Nena, real name Gabriele Kerner, was born in 1960 in Hagen. At first, Nena was the name of the band she founded in West Berlin in 1982 in the wake of the New German Wave, but she used this name later as a solo artist. Nena was also an actress, TV presenter, voice actor and writer of children's songs. In 2002 she celebrated her successful comeback with new versions of her old songs. Three years later she published her autobiography and her song 'Liebe ist' gave her a second number one hit in Germany.